Sharing Session 2015

QIFA PRIMARY SCHOOL

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

SHARING IN BRIEF

• the different components of the language paper (EL new format)

• implications of the each component

• ways to help your child

Emphasis on the 21st Century competencies

Giving pupils greater scope for providing responses in speaking and writing

•Paper 1 : Continuous Writing ( Composition )

•Paper 4 : Oral ( Reading Aloud / Stimulus-based Conversation )

Greater emphasis on viewing skills integrated with listening and reading

•Paper 2 : Language Use and Comprehension

•Paper 3 : Listening Comprehension

Table of Specifications

PAPER COMPONENT WEIGHTING

1 ( WRITING ) SITUATIONAL CONTINUOUS

15 ( 7.5% ) 40 ( 20% )

2 LANGUAGE USE AND COMPREHENSION

GRAMMAR VOCABULARY VISUAL TEXT COMPREHENSION COMPREHENSION CLOZE SYNTHESIS AND TRANSFORMATION

95 ( 47.5% )

3 LISTENING COMPREHENSION

20 ( 10% )

4 ORAL READING ALOUD STIMULUS-BASED CONVERSATION

10 ( 5% ) 20 ( 10% )

P6 CURRICULUM

The EL curriculum adopts the Strategies for Teaching English Language And Reading ( STELLAR ) approach

Reading – Library books / USSR / Scheduled class reading / library period /supplementary reading materials

Speaking - reading and stimulus-based conversation / EC modular package / presentation / Web 2.0 tools

Listening - listening practice papers ( MC )

Language Use – Vocabulary / Grammar / Comprehension

STELLAR learning sheets / Comprehension Skills

Supplementary practice papers / past examination papers

Grammar and vocabulary textbooks

Synthesis and Transformation topical practice papers

Composition – writing skills / activities

Spelling / Journals / Dictionary & Thesaurus

Continuous Writing

•Flexibility to choose appropriate text type

•Assessment on writing skills

A given topic with 3 supporting pictures to

offer different angles of interpretation

* refer to sample copy

Revised PSLE components

New

How to start writing?

• Begin with an end in mind

• Make a list of good vocabulary

to use ( Spice up )

This is when the word bank

comes in useful!

PSLE 2015 format for EL Paper 1 All forms of continuous writing are acceptable

•Narrative (fictional / non-fictional)

•Descriptive

•Expository

•Persuasive

Variations of Narrative Writing

1. Diary / Journal entry

2. Fairy Tale

3. Fable

4. Fantasy

5. Folk Tale

6. Legend

7. Myth

8. Biography

Descriptive Writing 1. Describes character, place or event in great detail

2. Often poetic in nature

3. Uses metaphors, similes and hyperboles

Expository Writing 1.Subject-oriented writing or explains a process

2.2. Relevant facts and figures

3.No personal opinions 4. Logical order / sequence

Persuasive Writing 1. Author’s opinions / stand

2. Biased writing meant to convince reader

3. Provides arguments, reasons and justifications

4. Often asks for a call or an action from the readers

Argumentative Writing 1. Debate in the written form

2. Develops both sides of the issue

3. Not about winning one side of the argument.

4. Makes a stand at the end.

Paper 2 : Visual Text •Merging of Graphic Stimulus and Comprehension •Visuals - pictures, graphs, diagrams, etc with text Text with Visuals ( 8 MCQ questions ) * refer to sample text

Revised PSLE components

New

Paper 2 : Comprehension Open-ended

Visual and Text

Text with 10 questions ( eg : tables / sentences)

to test sequencing, justification, comparison, etc.

* refer to sample text

Revised PSLE components

New

Paper 4 : Oral

Merging of picture discussion and conversation

Themes will be linked to the passage

Read Aloud Passage ( 10 mark )

Stimulus-based Conversation ( 20 mark )

* refer to sample text

Revised PSLE components

New

Reading Aloud : How to score?

•clear and consistently good pronunciation

•fluent reading delivered with the appropriate pauses and without any hesitation

•appropriate variation of pitch and tone ( expression )

Ways to help your child

Stimulus – based conversation : How to score?

•gives personal responses which are relevant and well-developed

•expresses clearly and confidently using a wide range of vocabulary and good structures

•interacts well with examiner and shows initiative in introducing relevant ideas

Ways to help your child

Comprehension : Common Errors

•giving incorrect answers ( pupils do not know what the questions are asking )

•giving impartial answers

•tendency to give answers with little/no evidence of having referred to the passage

•Not quoting correctly

Area of Weakness

Common problems faced by the pupils :

•Do I understand what I have just read?

•Do I know the main idea of the passage?

•Do I know what the writer is trying to communicate to me?

•Do I know the answer to the question?

•Do I know how to ask questions while reading?

Visible Thinking in an English Language classroom.

How do we make thinking

visible in EL teaching and

learning

Annotation

Visualisation

Teacher Modelling

Connection

Prediction

TEXT TO SELF

TEXT TO TEXT

TEXT TO WORLD

It reminds me of when I read …. because …. ( text to text )

It reminds me of the time I …. because …. ( text to self )

It reminds me of something I read because…. ( text to text / text to world )

It reminds me of something I heard about because …. ( text to world )

I use what I know to understand what I read

Annotation

When you annotate you add in extra information by :

•asking yourself questions

•writing notes to help you understand better

•draw arrows to make inference

What to annotate ?

5 W 1 H

WHO - Characters

WHAT - Things / Events

WHEN - Time / Setting

WHERE - Setting / Context

WHY - Reasons

HOW - Process…Procedure

What to annotate ?

•Main point in each paragraph

•Connections within and between paragraphs

•Definition of words, phrases ( in bold )

•Contextual clues

•Writer’s choice of words

Example : What thrill was Keith experiencing?

about to go surfing was he swimming?

It was the break of dawn. Tony, with his (surfboard under his arm), was standing on the shore watching his buddy in the sea. Keith (was paddling with his hands in the water), trying to catch the incoming wave. In one swift moment, (he thrust himself up and was riding the perfect wave,) contented with the thrill he was experiencing.

why ?

he was not swimming…probably surfing

setting : seaside , dawn

characters : Tony and his buddy, Keith

Have you ever?

LOOKED AT THE CLUES!

HIGHLIGHTED THE CLUES!

THEY WILL HELP YOU!

First Sentence Clue Two cars crashed just outside our

school yesterday morning.

accident, injured, blood,

ambulance, fatal, responsibility,

students

I had the best birthday party ever. fun, excitement, food, best birthday

celebration…

Two years ago, a medical

examination at school revealed that I

was short-sighted.

school, health check, vision is not

perfect, needs glasses …

Many children drown every year

because they do not know how to

swim.

drowning cases, reports, age

group, swimming pool,

misadventure, misery of parents,

cause of accident…

Bob was in such a rush to get to work

on Friday morning that he slammed

his hand in the car door.

woke up late, stayed up late, alarm

did not ring, meeting that morning,

carelessness due to the rush…

The Experience Clue

Example:

1.The baby is hungry. He wants his ____.

2.Mr Lim fainted and was rushed to the ____.

3.Mum came home late so she went to the supermarket and bought ____ dinners.

The Comparison-And-Contrast Clue

Example:

1.As soon as I put my spectacles on, the usual blur that I had been accustomed to seeing around me was gone. I could see everything very _____.

Transformation involving change in the form of words

Bob was regularly absent. His classmates noticed it.

Bob’s regular absence was noticed by his classmates.

(adjective → noun)

Jane saw a dead rat in the kitchen. That filled her with horror.

Jane was horrified to see a dead rat in the kitchen.

(noun → verb)

The stranger suddenly appeared behind Sue. He gave her a shock.

The stranger’s sudden appearance behind Sue gave her a shock.

(verb → noun)

Synthesis and Transformation

Combining two sentences into one without

changing its original meaning:

Examples

1.John went to bed early because he was too

tired to complete the project.

Answer

•Too tired to complete his project, John went to bed

early. ✓

Common Mistake

•Too tired , John went to bed early. ✗

2.Rose asked Tom if he had taken the money on the

table.

Common Mistake

•Rose asked Tom, “Had you taken the money on the table?”✗

Answer

•Rose asked Tom, “Have you taken the money on the table?”✓

3. The watch is too expensive. It is a waste of money to buy it.

Answer

•To buy the expensive watch is a waste of money. ✓

Common Mistakes

•To buy the watch is too expensive and is a waste of money. ✗

•To buy the watch is too expensive and it is a waste of money to

buy it. ✗

Things to note for other language components:

• analyse mistakes made in daily work and

correct them

GRAMMAR ITEMS

• tend to write the answers first before they

even identify the contextual clues

• do not identify the correct subject

Example :

Samuel, as well as the group leaders always _______ the class to hand in their work on time.

(1)remind (2) reminds

(3) are reminding (4) has been reminding

Example :

Janice watched her sister ________ at the Victoria Concert Hall last Saturday.

1.sing 2. sung

3. sang 4. sings